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Wolf sensed this, spinning around and drawing his sword.

He didn’t have to tell me to take the left; I could feel his intentions without him opening his mouth. I pulled Venom out and crept forward, keeping my eyes fixated ahead.

“Come on,” I said, forcing myself to stand up straight. “Let’s kill these damn monsters and be done with this.”

The next moments came in a blur of swords and daggers and bone and flesh. With the help of the bond, I was finally able to conjure natural magic.

And by the blessing of the goddess herself, it was not half-dead bears that cascaded toward us with their flesh-hungry jaws. It was merely more vampyres funneling toward us with the scent of fresh blood.

They were much easier to kill.

And kill.

And kill.

I killed until my entire body screamed in agony, until I could no longer decipher my blood from the blood of my enemies.

Wolf fought at my side, not missing a single beat. His sword cut through the vampyres as if he were cutting air itself.

He, too, dripped in blood.

But we were alive, and I could feel his racing heart pulsing through my own veins with the power of the bond.

Bleed and live.

Another vampyre fell.

Bleed and live.

Wolf’s sword sliced through three bodies at once.

Bleed and live.

We killed until only him and I stood in the forest, dripping in the blood of our enemies and staring at each other in equal amounts of horror, a horror we could share.

A horror that was ours.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

“You’re hungry,” I said. It was not a question.

“I’m fine,” Wolf replied. He didn’t bother opening his eyes. Didn’t bother lifting his head from the ground.

I sat beside the fire, my legs curled to my chest. At least I wouldn’t have to huddle beside him for warmth this time. I was certain our bond would give away too many of my secrets if I got any closer.

After the adrenaline of the fight faded, after we found shelter to recover, after my heart settled, I was left to feel it all.

Wolf’s emotions came and went like ocean waves, cascading against rock and sand and then retreating into the vast void ofhim.

Each time the wave came back, I fought to catch my breath. Sometimes it would be a crippling numbness that took over, starting in my chest and forcing the breath from my lungs. Sometimes, it came in waves of despair.

I wanted to ask him about this one, wanted to ask him why he felt so much heavy regret, but I kept my mouth shut.

I wouldn’t want him asking me about my emotions, either.

This was simply the byproduct of the bond. We didn’t have to make it anything more than that.